Great Lakes beaches will have more strict, comprehensive monitoring and faster public warnings of contamination if two U.S. Senators have their way.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich silenced many of his critics on July 15 when he vetoed legislation fellow Republican Party conservatives engineered that would have gutted the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. Kasich is now in position to preserve even more Great Lakes water.

Upgrading storm sewers isn’t glamorous, but such investments not only restore environmental health, they can benefit local economies.

The mouth of a Michigan river with a history of environmental problems will again flow naturally and reconnect Lake Erie to inland towns.

But the project could introduce new problems.

Some scientists worry that the chemicals that make lotion, soap, trash bags and a myriad of household products smell good are an emerging class of pollutants that threaten environmental and human health.

A century ago, the Buffalo River was bustling with activity. The shores were lined with automobile, steel and chemical companies. Jobs were abundant.

Today’s Buffalo is a different place. The industrial heritage isn’t gone—it fills the Buffalo River.

Canadian scientists are launching a robotic kayak equipped with echo sounder sensors in the Welland Canal this week to see if invasive fish such as the Asian carp could travel between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

After decades of decline, mercury levels are increasing in some Great Lakes fish and birds, according to a recent study.

And health problems are occurring at lower concentrations than expected.

Pain medicine, birth control, anti-depressants and other pharmaceuticals make their way into the Great Lakes through municipal water systems and stormwater runoff.

That threatens human health, harms wildlife and contaminates drinking water, according to a recent report.

A Great Lakes shipping canal scheduled to be dredged next spring has toxic chemicals deep below the surface, according to a recent study.